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Published: August 10th 2008
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The Weather
May have been a little warmer if the clouds weren't so heavy. But the view was still amazing. Tubing - everybody hires a large rubber ring, a dry bag, (and a life jacket if they're cool) and sits on a river. People working at bars on either side try to pull them in. Everyone gets very drunk/wet/muddy.
Approaching the shop where we hire our equipment, who should we bump into but the "Whoaaay!" guys from bowling (It's funny. It seems everyone on this side of the world knows what kind of person you mean as soon as you say "Whoaaay!"). It's their second day in a row, and they highly recommend it.
We get in the river at the start (features: Very muddy, not wild but quite fast, possible water-borne diseases), and immediately feel the first runs of cold water on us that will be a continuous feature of the day. Deciding to stop at the first bar on the left, who should we run into (again) but the "Whoaaay!" guys from earlier. They got an hour head start and are quite smashed. I go on a huge swing that involves climbing a rickety ladder up a tree to a very wobbly platform and grabbing hold of a trapeze. And swinging from it. I had seen other
Tubing Journey
Journey up the river... nope, weren't even in the least bit anxious about what lay ahead. people do it and noticed it looked very high - I guessed around two storeys. At least. Luckily the river is quite deep in the middle and I can swim, otherwise I would be drowning with broken legs. Always good to check these things first.
When doing something like this, it's always good to bring something to keep your money dry. So, imagine my disappointment when I opened my waterproof ziplock bag to find it full of water. Thankfully the barmaid must have been used to it as she didn't look too annoyed when I peeled out a soggy 50,000 Kip bill.
The second bar we stopped at, we didn't stop at, as somebody found it too difficult to stay near the edge of the river and drifted just out of reach of the sticks of bamboo and tyres on rope.
The third bar featured a muddy volleyball pitch that we danced to the hip western music in for a few minutes. There was also a zipwire. I had been on a few swings by this point so was able to fashion "the crucifix" pose into the water for an amazing photo opportunity that, unfortunately, nobody saw. The bar also seemed to own a wooden water slide for people on their rings. Probably for the good of our health and safety, it wouldn't be finished till next year.
Bar number three featured free rice whiskey that was probably unnecessary, and a slippery mud floor that was also unnecessary yet so, so necessary. It took about 3 minutes for me to fall over and another 0.5 minutes to get covered in it. Including in mouth and eyes. Luckily I managed to blindly locate my drink so survived.
Bars number four and five are a little hazy. By this point a lot of drink had been consumed by all parties. I can remember a big swing in the last bar and can't remember, but have physical evidence of, slashing my left hand in numerous places.
I did say that everybody recommended it, and said "Whoaaay! It's so much fun!" But I didn't actually think it would be as much fun as it was. So, I have to severely recommend it to anybody visiting Laos.
That day could have quite reasonably finished there - everybody being so drunk, hungry and tired. For dinner I sampled chicken fried rice with an original western inspired cheese topping. We then headed over to a bar where I met a group of Thai students studying Urban Planning, going on a weekend trip to Vang Vieng. We may have exchanged cultural dance moves. I can't remember any of theirs so I'm hoping they've also forgotten mine.
Long story short, I ended up in bed probably around 5 AM. I honestly don't think I will experience a day as mental as that for a long time.
In a couple of days we're flying out to Vietnam, for possibly the most beautiful part of the trip. Until then, Xiao!
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